Members of the National Assembly Committee on Education have questioned the State Department on Immigration over the delay in issuance of ID cards to students which has hindered university students from accessing loans and scholarships.

In a meeting chaired by Hon. Julius Melly, PS Immigration Julius Bitok assured lawmakers that delays in the issuance of Maisha Number identity cards were being addressed.

Committee Chair, Hon. Melly emphasised the urgency of resolving the delays, particularly as universities have commenced intake of new students using alternative methods, such as NEMIS numbers, to allow students to register and start classes.

"As a Committee we have had to intervene to ensure that university students can register and access financial support using NEMIS as they wait for IDs but the problem persists. We need a solution," said Hon Melly.

PS Bitok acknowledged the delays, citing technical and legal challenges that had stalled the production of Maisha Cards. He informed the Committee that a backlog of 600,000 cards had built up but reassured the legislators that these issues had been resolved.

Speaking on the status of issuance of Identity Cards, Hon. Malulu Injendi asked, "What is the current status of the issuance of Maisha Cards and National Identity Cards? Can you provide specific numbers on how many have been issued versus the total number of applications"?

"As of now, we have issued 1.8 million Maisha Cards, and over 1 million have been collected. However, 569,914 cards remain uncollected. We have adopted a 24-hour shift and acquired additional machines to speed up the production process," PS Bitok explained.

On his part, Hon. Dickson Maungu sought details on the measures the Ministry was putting in place to inform ID applicants, " What channels of communication are available for students and citizens to follow up on delayed issuance of IDs or Maisha Cards?"

PS Bitok informed the Committee the Ministry has implemented an SMS system to keep applicants updated. He added that the vetting process for border counties, which previously caused delays, has been abolished, making the process seamless and paperless. 

Concerns were raised by Committee Members about the security of the data embedded in the Maisha Cards. Hon. Rebecca Tonkei questioned how safe the information was, to which PS Bitok assured, "The data is safe. Kenyans should not be worried about the safety of their personal information."

Committee Members pressed the PS on the uptake of the school rollout program, emphasizing the importance of ensuring all children receive their IDs before leaving secondary school.  

"Tell us about this school registration roll out programme? How many schools have you done?"asked Committee Chair, Hon. Melly.

The PS responded saying that the Ministry is  prioritizing school registration to ensure that students obtain their IDs before they leave secondary school, allowing for a smoother transition to university.

Members of the Education Committee also learnt that new applicants for the Maisha Cards are required to pay Kshs 300, while replacements of cost Kshs 1,000.

The Committee on Education urged the Ministry to expedite the issuance of Maisha Cards, stressing that any further delays could severely impact their access to higher education funding.